New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-28
FIX SENATOR PLATT REPLIES.
QUARANTINE AND GOVERNOR HILL.
uc.Irn's REPORT TORN TO TArrERs

ruv ROAKD or HGALIllS NEfo"i i'" -
.,,. r. & pott of the Quarantine Com
..i.s;on when asked last night if he had seen the
.or,0rt 81 Thomas Newbod president OF the S'a'o
nd of Health. in reference to the Quarantine
Department at this port, said:
al read the report to which his name Is signed.
t. is pertnent first Of all that the puohc shoui"
know who Mr.. Newbold is lie Is not phNSici"h
Init politician. He WAS formerly STATE senator
from Duchess County. is IA rock-rbhed Democrat
and nrcsidcnt of the State Board of Health by the
grace of David B. Hill. This report is simply u
mart of Governor Hills grand plan of purifying
Quarantine by ousting Republican oi'ciais anu
putting Democrats in their places. Now wihic
the condition Of Quarantine In the Bay, ana p'r-
tiouIsrlv of Hoffman Island is dsgraccful. no one
is TO blame for it but David b. Hill and his Dem
ocratic predecessor The facts as to this condl-
ton Of things AM. the blame therefor nave or'''
repeatedly stated, but at each new charge tne
Democratic papers repeat the old lies that the
blame rests with the Quarantine Commissioners
Huffman Island would have been cntlrey uhteh-
antable but for the fact that foreign shlp-oWherS
at the solicitation of the Health Cihcer advanced
several thousand dollars to put the establishment
there in partially serviceable condition. Even
small and insignificant appropriations that were
made by the last Legislature among when was
included an appropriation for necessary repairs 10
the bospitalsbip Illinois to which Mr.. Ncwbold
makes such feeling allusion, were vetoed by Ills
Exeellcncy Governor Hill / have no doubt that
the nublic fully understand the tactics of the Gov
ernOr'
Health Officer Smith was also seem and asked
about Mr. Newbold's report, when he said: Leu
me read YOU this para graph from the pupncatioh
in The Times -
II will strike most persons with chill to be told
that fever stricken patients who ought 10 cccle d
least a, much attention a. is bestowed upon cattle,
have been conveyed from Hoffman TO owlnbuino
Island over the cold waters of the Bay, distance
of three miles, in an open rowboat
"Swinburne Island Hospital is built on sand
bar in the Lower Bay TO which access can oilly
he had with the Quarantine tug at high tide On
one occasion patients have been conveyed thore
from ship in a rowbOat when the Quarantine tug
coud not pass the bar in preference 10 lcaNln-
them in n crowded steamer for several hours ne
public can Judge which would be the most hu-
name course, to leave them 10 infect the wei or 10
convey them by the only means accessible al Inc
time | notice in the report the statement ina no
fema ie nurses were employed. There never WAS a
dav after the first cases from the AlcSia were al
mitted that there not female attclhlant'-
friends and country women of the sick VINO; whch
necessary, acted as nurses IL l. asserted thd'
there was no resident IlNsici2n. his Is uue'
because | exercised that duty myself ana spchV
most Of my time AT the two islands me Jaw
saws that "the Health Officer Of the Port OF New.
York shall be the physician for said hospital
The statement that no other physician was
EMPLOYED is not true The statement tiat therc
was no nlUsiciln at Hoffman Island to tell whether
patients were i'll or not Is equally untrue vice
every day these immigrants Were inspected nV
myself and many hours each day were Spcht nv
myself or II deputy among them. The report says 4:
mo knives or forks used ANY snip cap
tain will tell Mr. Newbod that Italians on snip
board would as little think of serving themselves
with knives and forks the author Of the report
would with chop-stickS The spoon IS their hab-
itual choice. They eat their macaroni. their
beans. their SOUPS and four-ffths of their food
with . spoon. Mr.. Ncwhold complains that Their"
were no bath-tubs True. but the state had been
no more liberal in providing bath-tubS than IN
other appropriations Six hath-tubs cannot De
considered liberal for 800 people | imnroVi>ed
about City by saving barrels asundcr. from which
the immigrants compelled to wash al stated
intervals. He says that no watch was kept OF
closets or latrnes TO soc how often any one per
son used them. That is not trrc Waterman
was on duty al all times at each Of the closets TO re
mort every suspicious circumstance. and the watch
man for the Island did the same for the latrlncs.
When the author SAYS the disease had not been
stopped by the measures taken when the AIeSla )
Messengers were transf, rrcd from Holman Island
TO INC od hulk. MS he chose 10 call III" ship Wash
ington. ne falsifics the record. There had been
no case Of cholera among the McSil's people for
three weeks before their removal
"Thc Quarantine establishment was started for
the purpOSe of preventing infections diseases from
enterin. New York and the country. That II has
succeeded in doing in spite Of all distractions.
and it Vii continue 10 Do 50.